What it's really like to have a speech impediment as an adult

Speech impediments, lisps and stutters are widely associated with children or babies who are still learning to speak properly -- when people meet an adult with a lisp, it is sometimes assumed that there is something wrong with or different about him or her.

When something occurs that is outside of the schema of what you deem "ordinary," it can be hard not to pay specific attention to it. Even if you aren't judging an adult with some sort of speech impediment, it can be hard to hide that you're paying attention to it, thus projecting your discomfort on to the person with the impediment. While speech problems aren't disabilities, it can often feel that way to the people who struggle with them.

Several people took to Whisper, the popular app that provides an anonymous platform for people to share their most honest thoughts, to reveal the real struggles of being an adult with a speech impediment.

It might negatively impact your confidence in romantic pursuits:

It is a physical setback, not a mental one:

Having a speech impediment can make you question how others really see you:

It might make you feel like you can't really express yourself:

You might feel like your character as a whole is being judged based on that one setback: